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Dronevil: Final

AllMusic Review
by Brian Way

Boris has taken its musical split personality to the logical extreme on Dronevil: Final, where the two discs are meant to be played simultaneously. One disc, "Disc Evil," contains three songs averaging 20 minutes in length, and the other, "Disc Drone," contains three feedback accompaniments. This multiple-source approach worked to fabulous effect on the Flaming Lips' four-disc Zaireeka in 1997; call this Boris' Zaireeka-lite. The three songs are minimal in arrangement, not to mention molasses-slow in tempo, to allow the second disc's soundscapes to fill in the empty spaces. It would be pointless to offer point-by-point descriptions of each slowly developing piece due to their length and open-endedness; suffice it to say they are exercises in patience, meditative despite the crushing volume and screeching distortion, almost zen-like. For example, the first track is Disc Evil's "Red," which is meant to be played simultaneously with Disc Drone's "Loose" (the other two tracks sync "Evil Wave Form" with "Giddiness Throne" and "The Evilone Which Sobs" with "Interference Demon"), takes nine minutes for a second sound, a feedback peel, to augment an aimless guitar figure, and only at the 13-minute mark does an actual riff emerge along with a simple drum pace. And it must be mentioned that exact syncing of the two discs is completely unnecessary -- themes unfold so slowly that it all blends together regardless of playback, and assures that no two listenings are ever exactly alike. This album has an overall feel more akin to Boris' earlier work of repetitive psychedelic droneworks, and nowhere on this album will you find the wailing Stoogian garage rave-ups found on more recent material.